High-Altitude Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

his recipe was developed and tested in my home kitchen at 5,400 feet above sea level. Banana Chocolate Chip Bread is pretty peak for cozy recipes. This is a new version of high-altitude banana bread that works perfectly, stays moist, and tastes amazing with the addition of chocolate chunks, although you can make it with or without them.

This soft, flavorful banana bread gets a cozy boost from a little sprinkle of cinnamon in the batter. You can use chocolate chips or chopped up chocolate chunks in any level of sweetness you prefer here, and the whole batter can be mixed together easily by hand. Let me show you how to make it!

How to Make Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

This is a classic banana bread plus chocolate chips, so the ingredients are really similar to what you would expect here, including some very ripe bananas. To start off, we’re stirring together the dry ingredients in a bowl, and mashing up the bananas.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and vegetable oil until well combined.

Then add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and mashed banana, and give everything another whisk until it’s well combined once again.

From there, add in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips or chunks, and stir the batter together with a spatula until it’s well combined and there are no dry clumps of flour in the batter anymore.

Pour this mixture into your prepared baking pan, and then it’s off to the oven to bake for a little more than hour. You can optionally sprinkle some sugar or coarse sugar over the top of the batter before baking to get a slightly crisp, sugary topping on the banana bread.

Once the banana bread is cooled, you can remove it from the pan to slice and serve! It’s lovely served as is, but it’s also beautiful toasted and of course with a cup of coffee or tea. This Banana Chocolate Chip Bread is soft, fluffy, and gives you all the cozy vibes for fall.

Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Here are my tips to help along the way:

• Do I need to use over-ripe bananas? Yes, if you use fresh bananas, your bread will be much more dry and the bananas are harder to mash and incorporate. You want to use bananas that have many brown spots on the outside and have softened.
• Do I have to use cinnamon? You can remove this if you don’t like it, but it’s not very much and it just gives the banana bread a warm backnote that I really love.
• Can I omit the chocolate chunks? Yes, you can certainly make a classic banana bread with this recipe without any adjustments- simple do not add chocolate if you don’t want it! You can also add in nuts if you like.
• Stir together the batter by hand to avoid over-mixing or over-working the batter. Because we’re using oil and lots of mashed banana, the batter is very easy to work together by hand.
• Do I have to use chopped chocolate? No, you can use chocolate chips or chopped chocolate here, whatever you prefer! As per usual though, I think it’s better with chopped up chocolate from bars.
• How do I know when the banana bread is finished baking? The banana bread should be puffed up significantly, golden brown all over the top, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the banana bread should come out mostly clean, with just a few mostly dry crumbs clinging to it.
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level, and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!

Print

High-Altitude Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Servings 10 slices

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups very ripe mashed bananas about 4 large bananas
• 1 cup chocolate chips or chunks

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and generously grease a 9 inch loaf pan, optionally lining the pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set this mixture aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and vegetable oil until well combined. Add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and mashed banana until everything is mixed through and consistent- you may still have lumps from the bananas.
4. Stir in the dry mixture along with the chocolate chips or chunks with a rubber spatula until well combined and there are no dry pockets of flour remaining. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. The pan will be fairly full depending on the exact size you’re working with. Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean, with just a few dry crumbs clinging to it. Cool the banana bread completely before removing from the pan and slicing to serve. Enjoy!

Nicole Hampton

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!

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